


Ruminations of an Officer on his Sergeant

by ebineez01



Category: Tour of Duty (1987)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Ruminations of a distracted LT, Vietnam War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:34:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28023243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebineez01/pseuds/ebineez01
Summary: Lieutenant Goldman thinks about his irreverent Platoon Sergeant
Relationships: Zeke Anderson/Myron Goldman
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Ruminations of an Officer on his Sergeant

**Author's Note:**

> This is only my second ToD fic (first was a crossover with Matthew Reilly book verse of Scarecrow)  
> I haven’t done too much first person, present tense POV either, so I hope this works 🤞  
> Set early season 1

I just...don't know what to do with the guy! If I'm being completely honest...the man absolutely infuriates me! He refuses to wear his helmet, hell half the time he won't even wear his fatigue shirt, which means I have to stare at those fucking arms all fucking day long! And that just takes my brain to places where it _really_ shouldn’t be heading! Jesus!

He shows absolutely no respect for authority! And maybe I should take some solace in that. It's not just me he's insubordinate to, even though he says he likes me, whatever the fuck that means. Just a week ago, he effectively dismissed himself and walked out on Major Braun leaving the Captain and I standing there at attention as our Platoon Sergeant stormed off! In fact the only officer he seems to show any sort of respect towards, the only one who can _really_ control him, and not just have the illusion of control, is Captain Wallace.

Then, two patrols ago, he goes and volunteers himself to go into those fucking VC tunnels! Well of course I wasn't going to let him go on that suicide mission alone. And it's damn lucky I didn't! Having to drag his fucking stubborn ass out of the dirt and give him the kiss of life. That thought jolts me back to the present as I look up, brought back to what I'm _actually_ supposed to be doing...watching my fucking surroundings while we're on this escort duty and not ruminating about my hard headed Platoon Sergeant! It's a little hard to keep my mind off of him though since he's walking not six feet in front of me...and speaking of sixes...I can't stop my eyes from drifting down to his...

Fuck!

That's why I'm in this fucking mess in the first place! I should write him up for the way he acts towards me...ream his ass! Again, my eyes drop the that area of his body and I growl at myself, frustrated beyond all measure...

And then he's turning amused eyes on me. "Somethin' wrong LT?" he asks, all innocent like as he stops, pulling me aside, letting the men walk right on past us. Like he doesn't know _exactly_ what he does to me when he stares at me with those goddamned eyes, barely concealed mischief glinting in them.

"Nothing," I hear myself say, but was that really my voice? Why the fuck does it sound so strained!? Then I see the corner of his mouth twitch as his eyes drop and I can't help but lick my lips as he so boldly stares at them. I swallow and the man actually has the nerve to chuckle as he turns away back to the trail.

I watch his back as we start to walk again, falling in with the men around us. He can make me do the stupidest things! Last mission, when we had to escort that village full of locals up the track, he made me disobey a direct order! He also had me making a fool of myself over that woman, just to try to prove a point...that I don't _care_ what Sergeant Zeke Anderson does, because I have no interest whatsoever in a hard assed Platoon Sergeant...I like women! And _only_ women! Yeah well...that proved real successful, didn't it?

And now? Now! Well there's obviously history between him and Sergeant Earl Ray Michaels...one that he's chosen _not_ to share with me... _us_...I've asked him about it straight out already and he flat out refused to tell me. Keep up my subscription to Stars and Stripes! Asshole! And the way they're looking at each other...that history involves one hell of a lot more than battle! Oh there's tension there alright, but there's also something else...something that's simmering just below the surface...and if they get more than two minutes alone it will surely boil over. My cock jumps at the thought and I stare down at the front of my pants, confused as all fuck over that! Why would the thought of Anderson with another man excite me!? I swallow as it hits me. If he'd go with another man, then maybe...there'd be a chance he'd go with me...

I try to push those thoughts down. The last thing I need tromping through this godforsaken jungle is a fucking hard on! Especially one caused by my irreverent fucking Sergeant!

He pulls us up for a break after sending a cursory glance my way, though I don't know why he bothers. It's clear to everyone he's the one making the decisions around here. Although, I remind myself as Michaels comes back down the short column to stand beside him...too close beside him...that it's the other Sergeant who's supposed to be in charge of this mission. It grates on me how close they stand, how their heads are bent together in a conversation that I'm not invited to join...

And then of _course_ I stupidly step into a double trip wire, Zeke stopping me from getting my ass blown to kingdom come. He's kneeling at my feet, and haven’t I dreamt of that more than once, though admittedly not in this situation! And then Michaels is there right beside Zeke and my Sergeant is deferring to him as the expert. He asks Zeke if I'm a good officer and it stings when Zeke tells him it's too early to tell. I reprimand him and he nods to Michaels and god fucking _damnit_ if the man doesn't go and save my fucking life! I don't even thank the man, just try to get some of my fucking dignity and authority back by calling Horn over to me where he's supposed to be at all times, but Zeke, Michaels and Michaels local sidekick turn to warn no one to move. And then the Asian man is getting blown to hell. He's dead and the two Sergeants are looking at me...this is my fault...

I know I'm out of my depth with these two, Zeke seems to have stepped it up a dozen notches that I didn't even know he had when this guy turned up, and they're running fucking circles around me.

We walk through a stream and the VC have put some poor bastards skull on a pike, and I order someone, anyone to take it down, but Zeke even points that out as a fuck up yelling out not to touch it cause it could be booby trapped. I slap myself internally...of course it fucking could be!

A few more hours of trudging through the jungle and we come upon a burned out village, all the inhabitants either dead or gone, only one little girl remaining pulling at her dead mother to wake up and Zeke drops down beside her, trying to get through to her. And then Michaels is next to him, but he's not helping and things finally boil over between them as Zeke launches himself at the other man and they're rolling around on the ground together.

Fuck I've had enough of this shit! Whether it's pent up rage or lust or both I just don't care anymore! I push them apart and tell them if they need to do _something_ they need to do it quick cause I'm damn sick of it! I don't specify _what_ that something is, cause I'm not sure whether they're more likely to punch each other or fuck each other! They don't right then, but I'm almost certain, with the way they're glaring at each other, that they will later.

We finally make it to the bridge, but it's broad daylight so we have to hunker down for hours to wait until darkness falls. Zeke comes over and drops down beside me after he's been in a pow-wow with Michaels again. He tells me that Michaels is a man short now, so he has to fill that gap and go in with the other two to plant the explosives. I'm not happy about it and thinking of him out there in the water, right under the noses of the VC makes my insides twist. I try to tell him that someone else should go, we need him too much, but he just smiles at me and pats me on the shoulder, pointing out that he's the most qualified to do this, and I know he's right.

Hours later and darkness has fallen, and the three men strip to the waist and get their explosives ready. They silently wade out into the water and set their explosives on the low supports of the bridge. Then Johnson takes a knee beside me and he's telling me the fucking girl has disappeared...I pull my night sight up and see her running across the bridge towards the VC and she's yelling now. I swing my sight down to the men in the water and they're spinning around, they've just heard her too...and now they've broken cover and they're literally swimming for their lives as the VC start shooting down into the river. I'm screaming at my men to provide cover fire as I run down towards the river, praying, pleading again to some higher fucking power that I'm sure doesn't really exist to not let him die...

I get there and Michaels is bent over the body of his buddy, his buddy who was going home after this mission, who's now dead on the bank of a dirty Vietnamese river. And then the bridge blows and I stare at Zeke hoping it will all be worth it.

We make it back through the jungle to the RV point and Zeke silently climbs in the chopper with Michaels, pulling the man into his side, his arm around him, his chin resting on the top of his head as he whispers something I can't hear. As the gunship takes off I watch them, and Zeke looks up to find my eyes on him. We stare at each other for too long before I weaken and look away.

When we land, it hurts, but I'm not surprised when Zeke leads Michaels away, an arm around his shoulders. And as he holds open the flap of my tent, the only place they can get some privacy, and he ushers the other man inside, he looks up and catches my eye. We stare at each other and I understand that my Sergeant doesn't want to be disturbed tonight, knowing that the _something_ I told them to do two days ago in the jungle will be getting done tonight...and as his eyes continue to bore into mine, I know it _won't_ be quick, my gut twisting as barely controlled jealousy courses through me. Finally I give a slight nod, letting him know I'm agreeing to what he wants, hoping he realises exactly what I’ll be wanting in return.


End file.
